BBSRC Brazil pump-priming award (FAPPA) (Grant)

This opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. Check if your organisation is eligible.

Who is eligible to apply

You can apply for support if you are:

• a holder of a current BBSRC research grant

• a researcher in a BBSRC strategically supported institute working on projects supported through the Institute Core Grant Awards (e.g., Institute Strategic Programme Grants, Core Capability Grants, National Bioscience Research Infrastructures)

• applicants must meet standard BBSRC eligibility rules

The application must be made by a project lead, but the project lead does not have to be the one travelling. Any questions relating to the eligibility of UK applicants should be directed to the BBSRC international mailbox bbsrc.iru@bbsrc.ukri.org.

You can only apply after your BBSRC grant has started, and there must be at least six months remaining on your project from the start of the FAPPA Award.

Applications must indicate the benefit of the collaboration to:

• the UK applicant’s BBSRC funding and UK science generally

• the São Paulo based collaborators’ State of São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) funding and Brazilian science generally

Who is not eligible to apply

• students are not eligible to apply

International applicants

These awards are funded jointly with the project lead in São Paulo. The Brazilian applicant must be currently in receipt of a FAPESP research grant as a project lead or project co-lead. Brazilian counterparts should contact chamada-bbsrc-fappa@fapesp.br directly for current eligibility advice.

The UK applicants must submit a single joint application to BBSRC. This application must include a budget request to BBSRC for the UK partners and a budget request to FAPESP for the São Paulo-based researchers.

Sao Paulo researchers also need to submit the same proposal to FAPESP via the SAGe system alongside all other requested documents.

FAPESP’s guidelines for São Paulo-based researchers can be found at FAPESP website.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.

We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:

• career breaks

• support for people with caring responsibilities

• flexible working

• alternative working patterns

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.

Demand management

Demand management is not being applied to this funding opportunity.

Scope

This award is for Biotechnology and BBSRC-funded research groups to pump-prime interactions with FAPESP scientists in Brazil.

Duration

The duration of this award is a maximum of two years.

You should apply at least 12 weeks before the start of your project.

Funding available

Funding of up to £35,000 is available.

FEC at 100% is applied to this funding. Please include a breakdown of these requested costs that are to be made at 100% FEC under ‘exceptions’, in the justification of resources on the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service. Brazilian counterparts should apply for equivalent funding directly from FAPESP.

For all costs, applicants should ask for the full value of the activities that they wish to undertake and the BBSRC allocation will be calculated automatically.

What we will fund

Funding of up to £35,000 is available for travel and subsistence and other collaborative activities, such as workshops or exchanges.

Funding may be used to support a modest level of direct research costs, including consumables and access to specialist equipment to support research to gather preliminary data to support new applications under the FAPESP agreement with UKRI. These direct research costs may not account for more than 50% of the total value requested from BBSRC and the grant must primarily have a non-research focus.

What we will not fund

Funding cannot be used for:

• salary costs

• overheads

• equipment costs

Support available for people with caring responsibilities

BBSRC applicants are allowed to request additional care costs as part of a FAPPA proposal. These may cover the additional care requirements for visits, meetings and overseas travel undertaken as part of the supported activity.

Costs which form part of someone’s normal care arrangements must not be included and making arrangements for the care to be provided is the responsibility of the carer themselves. Costs should be reasonable and outlined in the directly incurred costs section of the application. Funds for supporting people with caring responsibilities should form part of the overall budget envelope.

Supporting skills and talent

We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I Principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.

As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks.

Further guidance and information about TR&I, including where applicants can find additional support, can be found on UKRI’s website.

Working with third parties and collaborators

Where any part of the funded activity involves third-party organisations or collaborators, including international partners, the lead research organisation must ensure that appropriate arrangements are in place. All such arrangements must comply with the UKRI terms and conditions of grant. This includes ensuring that any agreements with third parties apply terms and conditions that are consistent with those of the UKRI grant, and that appropriate due diligence, legal and regulatory compliance requirements are met.

Assessment process

We will assess your application using the following process.

Expert review

We will invite experts from within BBSRC to review your application, against the specified criteria for this funding opportunity. BBSRC will then contact FAPESP and a joint decision on the funding outcome will be made.

For more information on how we prioritise applications for funding please visit How we make decisions.

Timescale

You can only apply after your BBSRC grant has started, and there must be at least six months remaining on your project from the start of the international travel award.

You must apply at least twelve weeks before you travel. A decision will be communicated to you following internal review by BBSRC and FAPESP.

Principles of assessment

We support the San Francisco declaration on research assessment and recognise the relationship between research assessment and research integrity.

Find out about the UKRI principles of assessment and decision making.

Using generative artificial intelligence (AI) in expert review

Generative AI may be used only for the purpose of language refinement during application assessment. When using generative AI to refine the language of a review, expert reviewers and panellists must ensure that:

• no part of the application being assessed is entered into a generative AI tool

• no personal information from the application is disclosed

• generative AI is not tasked with understanding, summarising or evaluating the application’s content

Expert reviewers and panellists must also:

• comply with relevant intellectual property and data protection legislation

• not take into account or speculate within their assessment whether generative AI has been used to develop the application

For more detail see our policy on the use of generative AI.

Sharing data with co-funders

We will need to share the application (including any personal information that it contains) with FAPESP so that they can participate in the assessment process.

For more information on how FAPESP uses personal information, visit: FAPESP-BBSRC Pump-Priming Award (FAPPA).

We reserve the right to modify the assessment process as needed.

Assessment areas

The assessment areas we will use are:

• the purpose

• resources and cost justification

• ethics and responsible research and innovation

• FAPESP SAGe online form

• your organisation’s support

• project partners: letters of support

Find details of assessment questions and criteria under the ‘Application questions’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section.

Click here to start an application on the UKRI Funding Service https://funding-service.ukri.org/OPP1002/apply/1037

We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.

The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.

Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.

To apply

Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.

1. Confirm you are the project lead.

2. Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password.

3. Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.

4. Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.

5. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.

6. Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.

Please be aware that research office and finance teams undertake checks on hosting arrangements and financial eligibility. The ultimate responsibility for ensuring compliance with all opportunity requirements lies with the applicant.

Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

When including images, you must:

• provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image immediately underneath it in the text box (this must be outside the image and counts towards your word limit)

• insert each new image on a new line

• use files smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format

Images should only be used to convey important visual information that cannot easily be put into words. The following are not permitted, and your application will be rejected if you include:

• sentences or paragraphs of text

• tables

• excessive quantities of images

A few words are permitted where the image would lack clarity without the contextual words, such as a diagram, where text labels are required for an axis or graph column.

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:

• how applicants use the Funding Service

• how research offices use the Funding Service

• how reviewers use the Funding Service

References

References should be included within the word count of the appropriate question section. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.

Hyperlinks can be used in reference information. When including references, you should consider how your references will be viewed and used by the assessors, ensuring that:

• references are easily identifiable by the assessors

• references are formatted as appropriate to your research

• persistent identifiers are used where possible

General use of hyperlinks

Applications should be self-contained. You should only use hyperlinks to link directly to reference information. You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Assessors are not required to access links to conduct assessment or recommend a funding decision.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied.

For more information see our policy on the use of generative AI in application and assessment.

Deadline

You must submit your application at least 12 weeks before you intend to travel. Due to system requirements a closing date will appear on the Funding Service approximately a year from when this opportunity opened.

Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.

Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.

Personal data

Processing personal data

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.

We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice.

BBSRC, as part of UKRI, will need to share the application and any personal information that it contains with FAPESP so that they can participate in the assessment process. For more information on how FAPESP uses personal information, visit their website.

Sensitive information

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email bbsrc.iru@bbsrc.ukri.org

Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your UKRI Funding Service application number].

Typical examples of confidential information include:

• individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)

• declaration of interest

• conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection

• the application is an invited resubmission

For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice.

Publication of outcomes

If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.

Summary

Word limit: 550

In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.

We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:

• opinion-formers

• policymakers

• the public

• the wider research community

Guidance for writing a summary

Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:

• context

• the challenge the project addresses

• aims and objectives

• potential applications and benefits

Core team

List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:

• project lead (PL)

• project co-lead (UK) (PcL)

• specialist

• technician

• researcher co-lead (RcL)

Only list one individual as project lead.

The project lead should be the named individual on an existing BBSRC research grant. This individual does not need to be the one travelling.

UKRI has introduced a new addition to the ‘Specialist’ role type. Public contributors such as people with lived experience can now be added to an application.

Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.

Please note only UK-based applicants should be added to this section. Brazilian applicants should be listed and assigned roles in the next section ‘Brazil team’.

Brazil team

Please provide the following details of the Brazilian applicants:

• name

• institute

• job title

• role in project, for example, project lead or project co-lead (see definitions in previous UK ‘Core team’ section)

• email address

Please make sure to indicate who the lead Brazilian applicant is. FAPESP will use this information to confirm applicant eligibility.

Please do not include details of Brazilian applicants in the previous UK ‘Core team’ section.

Application questions

Purpose

Word limit: 2,500

Why is the travel and joint research needed?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain why the proposed travel and joint research is necessary, including reference to:

• the added value to existing BBSRC and FAPESP research and innovation

• the promotion of collaboration between researchers in the UK and Brazil

• the future joint research likely to accrue from the collaboration

• the acquisition and development of skills for the individuals involved

• opportunities for early career scientist exchanges

• why the people involved are the best people to carry out this collaboration

• why the places you are travelling to are the best places to go to, in terms of access to people, expertise, skills and resources

• why travel and collaboration need to happen at this time

Resources and cost justification

Word limit: 500

What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Justify the application’s resources, in particular:

• travel costs

• subsistence costs

• collaborative activities

• research costs, including consumables and access to specialist equipment, which will support the development of preliminary data and new applications under the UKRI-FAPESP agreement. This award cannot be used to fund Salary and Overhead costs

Please note: direct research costs may not account for more than 50% of the total value requested from BBSRC. FEC at 100% is applied to any direct research component of these awards including travel, subsistence and other collaborative activities. Please include a breakdown of these requested costs that are to be made at 100% FEC under ‘exceptions’, in the justification of resources on the Funding Service.

To note that the proposal must primarily have a non-research focus.

Please note:

• this award cannot be used to fund (salary and overheads)

• equipment costs are not permitted under this funding opportunity

You can request costs associated with reasonable adjustments where they increase as a direct result of working on the project. For further information see Disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders. Where a funding limit is imposed on the opportunity, requested costs for reasonable adjustments may exceed the maximum funding amount.

Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all project resources. Overall, they want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work:

• are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified

• represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes

• maximise potential outcomes and impacts

The SAGe online form, which includes the budget request from FAPESP for the São Paulo based researchers, should be downloaded and uploaded as an attachment by the UK project lead.

Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)

What are the ethical and RRI considerations, implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated:

• the relevant ethical and RRI considerations, including both the research or topic area itself and the design and delivery of the project

• the wider implications of the proposed work, and how you will maximise the positive societal, environmental, and economic benefits arising from the project, whilst minimising unintended negative impacts, such as research misuse or accidental harm

• how you will manage these considerations throughout the lifecycle of the project

If you are collecting or using data you should identify:

• any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing and storing the data (including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical considerations and, in particular, strategies to not preclude further reuse of data)

• formal information standards that your proposed work will comply with

Additional sub-questions (to be answered only if appropriate) relating to research involving:

• animals

• human participants

• genetically modified organisms

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

Please refer to the UKRI position statement on funding ethical research and Responsible innovation for more information around our expectations on ethical and responsible research and innovation.

Animal Involvement and “3Rs”

You must complete this section about how your proposed project will involve or impact animals.

If your project does not involve or impact animals, you must confirm this on the next page.

You may be asked about:

• what animals you are involving

• the severity of the procedures you are using

• where the procedures will take place

• welfare standards you aim to meet

• the relevance of your project to the development, validation or dissemination of the 3Rs

You may also need to download, complete, and upload at least one set of additional questions. You will be told how to do this towards the end of this section.

To complete this section and check whether your project is in the scope of the questions, refer to the UKRI policy for research and innovation involving animals.

What counts as an animal

UKRI policy relates to all animals in the Kingdom Animalia, including vertebrates and invertebrates.

Genetically modified organisms and biological risk

You must complete this section if your project will include genetically modified organisms or genetic technologies.

If you project does not involve genetically modified organisms or genetic technologies, you must confirm this on the next page.

You may be asked about:

• the type of organism your project will involve and the procedures your project will include

• the intended use of the organism or genetic technology

• the genetic, biological and environmental risks of your project

For more information, see UKRI’s guidance on genetic technologies.

Human Participation in Health-related Research

You must complete this section about whether your project will include human participation.

If your project does not involve human participation, you must confirm this on the next page.

You may be asked about:

• what type of human participation your project includes

• the project design for human participation

• the phase of the clinical trial

• whether the project will be in an NHS setting, if so, how the project will be registered

• whether diversity and inclusion will be considered

For more information, see UKRI’s guidance for human participants in research.

Additional documentation: FAPESP SAGe online form

This question is included in the Funding Service.

Word limit:10

The SAGe online form, which includes the budget request from FAPESP for the São Paulo based researchers, should be downloaded and uploaded as an attachment by the UK project lead.

Please upload a PDF attachment of the FAPESP management support system (SAGe) online form, as it will be submitted to FAPESP.

For the file name, use the unique Funding Service number the system gives you when you create an application on the Funding Service, followed by the words ‘FAPPA SAGe online form’.

Save this document as a single PDF file, no bigger than 8MB.

If the attachment does not meet these requirements, the application will be rejected.

The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.

Your organisation’s support

Word limit: 500

Provide details of support from your research organisation.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Provide a Statement of Support from your research organisation detailing how they will support you, as the applicant, and your proposed activities. This should include details of any additional support that might add value to the work.

Assessors will be looking for a strong statement of support from your research organisation. This information should have been approved for submission by an appropriate institutional authority.

You must also include the following details:

• a significant person’s name, their position and office or department, or all

• office address or web link

Upload details are provided within the Funding Service on the actual application.

Project partners

To note that you do not need to add the Brazilian collaborators in this section.

Add details about any project partners’ contributions. If there are no project partners, you can indicate this on the Funding Service.

A project partner is a collaborating organisation who will have an integral role in the proposed research. This may include direct contributions for example cash, donated equipment and resources, or staff seconded to the project, or indirect and in-kind contributions for example use of project partner’s equipment, datasets, or facilities. Project partners may be in industry, academia, third sector or government organisations in the UK or overseas, including partners based in the EU.

Add the following project partner details:

• the organisation name and address (searchable via a drop-down list or enter the organisation’s details manually, as applicable)

• the project partner contact name and email address

• the type of contribution (direct or indirect) and its monetary value

If a detail is entered incorrectly and you have saved the entry, remove the specific project partner record and re-add it with the correct information.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.

Project partners: letters (or emails) of support

Upload a single PDF containing the letters or emails of support from each partner you named in the project partners section. These should be uploaded in English or Welsh only.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Enter the words ‘attachment supplied’ in the text box, or if you do not have any project partners enter ‘N/A’. Each letter or email you provide should:

• confirm the partner’s commitment to the project

• clearly explain the value, relevance, and possible benefits of the work to them

• describe any additional value that they bring to the project

• have a page limit of one side of A4 per partner

The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.

If you do not have any project partners, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Ensure you have prior agreement from project partners so that, if you are offered funding, they will support your project as indicated in the ‘Project partners’ section.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.

Data management and sharing

Word limit: 500

How will you manage and share data collected or acquired through the proposed research?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Provide a data management plan that clearly details how you will comply with UKRI’s published data sharing policy, which includes detailed guidance notes.

Facilities

Word limit: 500

Does your proposed research require the support and use of a facility?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

If you will need to use a facility, follow your proposed facility’s normal access request procedures. Ensure you have prior agreement so that if you are offered funding, they will support the use of their facility on your project.

For each requested facility you will need to provide the:

• name of facility, copied and pasted from the facility information list (DOCX, 42KB)

• proposed usage or costs, or costs per unit where indicated on the facility information list

• confirmation you have their agreement where required

Facilities should only be named if they are on the facility information list above. If you will not need to use a facility, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)

Trusted Research and Innovation is the protection of the UK’s intellectual property, sensitive research, people, and infrastructure from potential theft, misuse, and exploitation.

Organisations receiving UKRI funding are obliged to act in line with UK government legislation. They are also expected to undertake appropriate due diligence assessment of organisations involved in research partnerships, collaboration agreements, and commercial contracts.

You will be asked about:

• which areas of the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act your project relates to

• who you intend to collaborate with and how

• if your project requires an export control licence

Your answers may affect the T&Cs of your funding agreement if you are successful. We may use your answers to determine that our current T&Cs are sufficient or if additional T&Cs are required.

Research and innovation impact

Impact can be defined as the long-term intended or unintended effect research and innovation has on society, economy and the environment; to individuals, organisations, and the wider global population.

Research disruption due to COVID-19

We recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major interruptions and disruptions across our communities. We are committed to ensuring that individual applicants and their wider team, including partners and networks, are not penalised for any disruption to their career, such as:

• breaks and delays

• disruptive working patterns and conditions

• the loss of ongoing work

• role changes that may have been caused by the pandemic

Reviewers and panel members will be advised to consider the unequal impacts that COVID-19 related disruption might have had on the capability to deliver and career development of those individuals included in the application. They will be asked to consider the capability of the applicant and their wider team to deliver the research they are proposing.

Where disruptions have occurred, you can highlight this within your application if you wish, but there is no requirement to detail the specific circumstances that caused the disruption.

Related content

• UKRI policies and standards

• BBSRC policies and standards

• FAPESP Website

Related opportunities

• Collaborate with researchers in Brazil

• BBSRC standard research grant

Get help with your application

If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this page

The helpdesk is committed to helping users of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service as effectively and as quickly as possible. In order to manage cases at peak volume times, the helpdesk will triage and prioritise those queries with an imminent opportunity deadline or a technical issue. Enquiries raised where information is available on the Funding finder opportunity page and should be understood early in the application process (for example, regarding eligibility, content or remit of a funding opportunity) will not constitute a priority case and will be addressed as soon as possible.

Contact details

For help and advice on costings and writing your application please contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process.

For questions related to this specific funding opportunity please contact Sania Afzal, Assistant Portfolio Manager, BBSRC International (bbsrc.iru@bbsrc.ukri.org), include ‘FAPPA’ in the subject header.

Brazilian counterparts should contact FAPESP for eligibility advice.

Any queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk.

Email: support@funding-service.ukri.orgPhone: 01793 547490

Our phone lines are open:

• Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm

• Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

To help us process queries more efficiently, we request that users highlight the council and opportunity name in the subject title of their email query, include the application reference number, and refrain from contacting more than one mailbox at a time.

For further information on submitting an application read How applicants use the Funding Service.